A Choice
by HPRotGAvenger
Summary: This is a story written by my friend. She wanted to get more opinions on it. Please leave comments and reviews. Pitch attacks again. This time isn't as easy to beat him as last time. This story shows everyone's love for each other. Read and follow to find out what happens! If you guess who the person is Jack sees at the end of Chapter 3 you get to pick a idea for the next story.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Rise of the Guardians or it's characters.**

**WARNING: Major character death**

It hadn't even been a year since the battle with Pitch - "The Battle of Belief" as they called it - and he was already back. Jack had been the first one to find him. Jack had been quick to send out the alarm but rushed in instead of waiting. The others had arrived quickly, but it was still too late. They got there just as Jack was stabbed with a Spear of Nightmare Sand. The guardians were frozen in shock. Jack couldn't have survived that, could he? It was Sandy who broke, having been the closest to the Winter Teen. Sandy had his whips out quicker than Pitch could blink. He was lifted and thrown time and again until his screams finally stopped. He was tied up and left to lie unconscious on Jack's lake. Tooth's cries brought Sandy's attention back to the limp form in the snow. the others had gathered around him, leaving Pitch to the Sandman. Sandy floated over, eyes sad. The Winter Spirit lay in a pool of his own blood. More of the dripping red covered his whole midsection, and it dripped from his nose and mouth. Jack coughed, making blood flow more heavily from his wound.

"Hey, little man," Jack gasped, a grin present even now. Sandy smiled at him, trying not to cry. North sat by his head, trying to wipe the blood away while Bunny was frantically trying to heal the wound. Tooth knelt, running a hand through his red stained hair. She actually seemed to be the only calm one of the three. "It's bad, huh?" Jack asked him, making him wince and not. He knew the boy wasn't stupid; he knew bad when he saw it. "Do me a favor then?" Jack asked him. Sandy nodded immediately, making Jack smile wider. Now Tooth broke down at the sight of his red stained teeth. "Take me to the air? Let me die flying," he rasped, ignoring the others as they protested, saying that he wouldn't die. Sandy looked Jack in the eye and saw something he never wanted to see in Jack. He saw childlike understanding and every minute of loneliness come together. As his answer, he formed a soft golden sand cloud under Jack. Tooth, who had also seen what he had seen, held North and Bunny back as Sandy joined Jack and the two rose into the air. Jack breathed in deeply as the cold wind surrounded him.


	2. Chapter 2

Sandy gently propped him up and wiped the blood from his face and hair before covering the rest of him in a golden blanket. For a moment, he almost looked healthy again, but the look in Jack's eyes brought him back to reality.

"Thanks little man," he rasped, "Got a couple of things to say, if you're willing to listen." Sandy sat beside him and lay a hand on his shoulder, smiling at him. Jack smiled back and focused his gaze on the moon. "Guess in general, I want to say thank you. After three hundred years, to have a family like you all was the best thing in the world." At this point, Jack's voice got softer. Red leaked from under the blanket, but both ignored it. "Don't mourn me, though. It's not right. Remembering me, I guess, is better. Always have fun too. Don't let them drift away again. And give a message to Jamie for me. 'Always believe and throw an extra snowball for me.'" Jack smiled, large blue eyes reflecting the full moon above. "And don't blame Pitch." At that Sandy tried to object, but Jack ignored him. "He's like me, you know, alone. Maybe if we had fixed that instead of fighting…" The thought stopped there as Jack gave a long raspy breath. He looked over to Sandy and looked him in the eye, "I love all of you. I'll tell Manny you said hi and tell my sister all about you. We will always believe." With that, Jack closed his eyes. Sandy, as a final gift to him, spread some Dream Sand over his head, giving him a dream of a perfect day. Of Guardians and believers and snowfall and fun times. Finally, Jack Frost's chest stopped rising. The wind blew around them, gently stroking Jack's hair as he slipped away. Sandy bowed his head, heart breaking as the best of them passed. Slowly, Sandy lowered the cloud back down to the lake. Tooth outright wailed at the sight of them as North cried and Bunny bowed his head and looked away. Sandy settled Jack in the snow before turning to a now conscious Pitch. Sandy floated to him, eyes searching. Pitch met his gaze, unsure. Sandy finally closed his eyes, sighing. The bindings fell away, but before Pitch could run, Sandy wrapped a coil of sand around his neck and wrote a simple message before him. "Never again, or you will follow him," Sandy wrote. Once he was sure he got the message, he let him disappear.

Finally, Sandy turned and rejoined his friends. Together they got into the sleigh and took Jack's body back to the pole. Bunny was the one to clutch Jack close as they flew, tears never stopping. Tooth stayed close, running trembling fingers through his hair. Sandy stayed up by North, keeping a comforting hand on the large man's arm. North simply stared straight ahead, flying the sleigh.

It seemed to take hours to get to Santoff Clausen, but they arrived in only half a hour. They were all surprised to find the Yetis and elves waiting, looking sad. It was Phil who stepped forward and took the dead spirit in his arms. He walked away, going to clean him up. The four Guardians stood for a long moment, unsure what to do but soon broke off to be alone, all but Sandy. He watched them drift away, wanting too much to do the same thing but knew that Jack didn't want that.

With a sigh, Sandy moving inside and towards Tooth, who had headed up by the Guardians emblem. She hovered in the moonlight, hugging herself as she sent her fairies out to collect teeth. Baby Tooth sat on her mother's shoulder, wailing her grief. Sandy floated over to her, eyes sad. He gently lay a hand on her shoulder. She looked over to him, large eyes full of tears. With a gentle hand he wiped a few tears away. Her lip quivered and she clung to him, crying. Sandy held her, not needing words or signs to show that he understood. It took half a hour for her to run out of tears. Sandy let some of his sand lull her to sleep before letting his own memories become her dream. He carried her to a nearby couch and lay her down. After he knew she was settled, he flew off to go find Bunny.

Sandy found Bunny in the practice area, beating on a punching bag. A closer look showed tears in the Pooka's eyes. Sandy sighed, knowing a different approach was needed. So with a flick of his wrist, he snapped his whips at the rabbit, getting his attention. The Pooka turned in surprise, studying the small golden man. Sandy simply fell into a fighting stance. Bunny gave him a nod and lept. They fought, clashing and jumping, neither able to get the upper hand. Sandy made sure neight went too far as Bunny let all his emotions out into the fight until nothing but raw pain was left. Bunny finally sank to the floor, body heaving with emotion. Sandy floated over to him, laying a gentle hand onto his shoulder. Bunny looked up at him, eyes filled with pure, childlike pain. Bunny would never admit it, but he wasn't technically much older that Jack, mentally. Sandy ran a hand over his ears in comfort, letting his hand lull him off. He again let his memories run into the dream as Sandy carried Bunny to the living room where Tooth lay. Sandy settled him by the fire before once again heading off to find North.

The Russian man was up in his office, chipping away at his ice. Anyone else would have thought he was working, but Sandy knew better. The Dream Giver saw the determination in the large man's eye. That could only mean that he was not dissolved in grief but putting it into something more. Seeing this, Sandy simply took up a Sentinel like position at the door and let him work. For two hours North worked nonstop before finally stepping back. Before him sat a coffin of ice and wood, an elegant mixture of the signature blue and brown associated with the Winter Spirit. A dark brown polished base was covered in delicate raised ice carvings. Snow flakes fell as dolphins jumped. Frost designs scrolled across it all. On top, Jack's staff lay encased in the cover surrounded by gems that held their best memories of him. How he had gotten them, they would never know. Sandy's eyes glazed over as he saw it. It was perfect. The two shared a look of complete understanding. Finally North collapsed into his chair, emotions finally taking over. Sandy drifted to him and eased him into his own dream memory. North too was moved to the living room and settled into his large armchair.

Once settled, Sandy stood back and took them in. Tooth twitched in her sleep as Bunny mumbled. North looking less asleep and more unconscious. Sandy, finally letting his own emotions come forward, moved to Jack's favorite window seat and allowed himself to relive his times with his friend before slipping off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

_Here is Chapter 3. This will hopefully make you all feel a little bit better._

* * *

It was dark, but this time he felt warm, safe. Then light flooded him. He looked up and saw the moon coming closer. He looked down and saw the workshop fading away into the white of the snow. How was he flying? Wind wasn't blowing and his staff was gone, but he couldn't bring himself to panic. He looked up again, now in wonder as the moon grew bigger and a glowing blue palace came into view. Jack was raised up through a large skylight and settled on a gleaming white floor. Jack looked around at the black, white, and blue themed furniture. Soft couches and chairs were spread out across the room. A small fire burned in the fireplace, making the room glow with a comforting warmth.

"Hello Jack." Jack gasped and spun. That voice, he hadn't heard it since-. There he stood, dressed in a pale blue, almost silver, suit. He was built, but not overly large with a smooth face and pure black hair. Bright silver eyes gleamed at him.

"Manny," Jack whispered, making the man smile.

"Mind joining me for a warm drink?" Manny asked. Jack nodded, eyes wide. Jack followed him and sat on a soft couch as Manny took an armchair. Drinks seemed to appear on the table between them. He followed Manny's lead and picked up a cup, taking a hesitant sip. It was the best cocoa he had ever had! He smiled and sighed happily. After a moment he looked up and blushed when he realized Manny was watching him.

"Why am I here?" Jack asked softly. Manny sighed.

"Because you died Jack," he said, making the boy shake his head in disbelief.

"No, I- I can't. The others and Jamie," he stammered, eyes wide again.

"I am sorry Jack, but that is why I brought you here. I can give you a choice, unlike all those years ago," Manny said, making Jack shake his head, anger rising.

"You mean when you ignored me? Took my memories? Forced me to fight Pitch?" Jack growled out.

"You did not have to fight Pitch, and to save you that night, Death required an exchange for your life. It was to be either your memories or fun," Manny said, bright eyes boring into him, Jack inhaled sharply. "And it was a mistake to ignore you, but you would not be the Guardian you are without it," Manny finished. Jack stared down at his hands, mind reeling at this new information.

"What is the choice?" Jack finally asked. Manny smiled at him sadly.

"You can move on or return to your life now," Manny said simply.

"You mean I have to choose between my families?" Jack asked. Manny nodded. Jack gulped and stood, walking over to the window. There stood earth, looking so far away. Who to choose? Old or new? Human or Spirit? Emma or Jamie? Jack sighed, torn. To get to see his family again… But to leave Jamie and the Guardians behind… But one thought stayed. What of all the kids he had yet to meet. That he still needed to protect. Emma would have been furious at him for even considering giving that up. She always did love seeing him with other kids. She never minded sharing him. He would see her again one day, but the children needed him. With a sharp inhale, he turned to face Manny. He was already smiling, like he already knew.

"I choose to return as a Guardian," he said. Manny nodded, smiling.

"As you wish, but there is one last person you must see," Manny said. On que, the door opened and Jack spun, grinning.


	4. Chapter 4

**Here is Chapter 4!**

**The posting of this means that if you have not already posted a review for the Chapter 3 question, you will not be able to pick the idea for the next story by the author.**

**You can still suggest some ideas. The author and I are open to suggestions, but that doesn't mean the story will get written. Please understand that we are not trying to be mean or rude. We just don't have the time to sit here and wait for people to come up with ideas for stories and write the stories. We gave you all a chance to definitely get your say into what we write, but unfortunately, we have to do a cut off point. If we don't, we would have lots of stories to write and not enough time to write them. :(**

* * *

The guardians awoke the next morning to find the moon covered in clouds and a funeral to attend. While they had slept, Phil had lay Jack in the coffin and set everything by the emblem.

They all circled around their fallen friend. All lighters were turned off except for the candles around the emblem. Yetis and elves stood nearby, mourning with them. Tooth was the first to react. She kept her expression calm as they moved forward. In her arms was her swords, polished, of the dust that had covered them in their centuries of not being used. She knelt and unsheathed the elegant blades, laying them down to Jack's right. Bunny followed her example and laid his own weapons by Jack's head. North did the same to Jack's left. Sandy, lacking a constant weapon, simply made a sand dolphin and set it by his feet. They all stepped back, eyes red, but no tears fell. North was about to speak up when a voice beat him to it.

"How sweet. It almost makes me sick," Pitch's voice said, coming from no certain place. Each face turned from tearful to furious in a second. Tooth's wings beat furiously as the men's fists clenched.

"Why are you here?" Tooth hissed. Pitch took form fight in front of them, between them and Jack. Nightmares surrounded the ice coffin.

"What, I can't pay my last respects?" He asked, smirking. They all glared at each other. No one noticed the moon beam that shot through the window into the casket.

"Leave Pitch Black. You are not welcome here," North growled, but Pitch only laughed.

"You see Nicholas, without the winter brat around, you lot are no match for me," he sneered. He would have continued, but was forced to spin when the ice casket shattered in a loud explosion. They couldn't help but gasp. There stood Jack, surrounded by shattered Nightmares and standing above a frozen Pitch. His eyes glowed a shining blue as he began to talk.

"Pitch Black, you have been out of control too long, and now, with the power of a pure sacrifice, it can be stopped," Jack's voice echoed, sounding more like two voices and not one.

"What?!" Pitch gasped, eyes wide.

"As Guardian of Fun, High Spirit of Winter, and Son of the Moon, I command this, all evil intentions leave. Black dull and be light. Fear become courage. Pitch Black, release yourself to General Kozmotis Pitchiner." Pitch only had enough time to scream in pain before moonlight swept him away. Once the light had dimmed, Jack's eyes went back to normal, and he sank to the ground. All four Guardians were quick to get to his side.

"Jack, oh than Moon you're okay!" Tooth sobbed hugging him tight. He chuckled as the rest joined in on the hug, even Bunny.

"Never do that again, ya drongo," Bunny growled in his ears as North practically suffocated him.

"Can't breath," Jack gasped, causing them all to laugh and finally release him.

"What happened Jack? You were-" North couldn't finish. He couldn't say it.

"Yeah, I was," Jack said, moving to sit on the window seat. "But Manny gave me a choice and I chose."

"What choice mate?" Bunny asked, ears down.

"Between life and death. One world for another. Between my families," he said, staring up at the moon. Sandy's eyes widened. Signs flashed over his head. Jack chuckled and nodded, hand coming up to fiddle with a charm on a chain around his neck. They all saw the glowing snowflake charm as it passed through his fingers. Yeah little man," Jack said. Only Sandy saw the smirk appear on his face. Sandy held back a laugh and subtly moved to the side. In a split moment, three blue snowballs went lying, one hitting each senior Guardian. The three started to laugh, Bunny tackled North, Tooth jumped onto them both. Still by the window, Sandy and Jack smiled at each other. Sandy smiled at him. Jack chuckled and bowed. Sandy bowed back but froze when a snowball hit his back. He turned and geared at a laughing North. Sandy rushed at him, knocking him over. Jack watched with a fond smile before turning again to gaze at the Moon. His gaze then turned to a bright star to the right. It flashed at him making him smile wider. Yeah, he would always be able to see his little sister. She guards him and always would.

* * *

**This is the end of the story. :( Thank you to all of you who have read, followed, and reviewed this story. I know the author and I appreciate it very much. I just want to say that this has been a very awesome experience for me, as I am not the best of writers. This gave me an opportunity to feel as if I actually wrote this. I want to give credit to the author, my best friend. She has asked me not to reveal her username. She would like to see how long it takes for people to realize who she is. I really hate to say goodbye. So, I'm not. I will just say see you soon. I wish that I could say I already have another story to post, but I can't. If I did, I would be lying. I will, however, soon.  
**

**Note from the Author: I would love to have any prompts or ideas you may have. I do, however, have the right to say that I am not going to write it due to not having interest in writing it.**

**Thanks for not getting mad at me for rambling on.**

**Yours Truly,**

**HPRotGAvenger (a.k.a. twilke97)**

**P.S. If you are a N.C.I.S. fan, check out this story.**

** A Day and an Oppurtunity by ZivaDavid9741  
**


End file.
